Front truck for corn harvesters



June 15 1926. 1,588,909

J. ROUPP FRONT T RUCK FOR CORN HARVESIERS Original Filed Sept. 10, 192 2Sheets-Sheet 1 g zwwmiml Qwwmtoz Jofizz 25 029 June 15 1926. 1,588,909

J. ROUPP FRONT TRUCK FOR CORN HARVESTERS Original Filed p 10, 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 2 g, HERE gnoomloz Jokrz Foam Patented June 15, 1926.

JOHN RGUPP, OFI-IESSTON, KANSAS.

FRONT TRUCK F03, CORN HARVES 'IERS.

Original application filed September. 10, 1923, Serial No. 661,847.Divided and. this application. filed:

October 23, 1924:.

This application is adivision of an aplication filed by me September 10,1923, Serial No. 661,847.

The present invention relates to the front truck or support for acorn-topping machine, and one object is to provide. a strong support forthe front portion of the topping machine whereby the draft will beadvantageously applied to the machine without imposing burdensome weighton. the draft animals. Another object of the invention is to provide atruck in which the point at which theframe is supported may be easilyadjustedvertically and the efii'ciency of the apparatus maintained inall adjustments; Other objects will appear in the course of thefollowing, description and the invention resides in certain novelfeatures which will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.I

In the accompanying drawings-1 Figure 1 is a. plan view, partly brokenawa of a truck embodying. the invention;

Fig; 2- is a side: elevation;

Fig. 3 is: a perspective view of the vertically movable yoke, and

Fig.1 4. is a perspective view of the member whereby the yoke isconnected with the main frame.

In carrying out. the present invention, I secure to'the lowerportion ofthe front side of the main frame of the topping, machine the forwardly.andupwardly converging drafti frame bars 15 which are secured togetherat their forward extremities, and to the said joined eXtremitiesI securethe rear end' of. an arch 16'. which terminates at its frontend. in a:depending straight pintle 1'7 whiclrisofi" circular. outline inhorizontal section. Aubracev 18 extends from the upper end of the mainframe of the topping machine to the forward portion of the arch 16:- andhas its ends rigidly secured to the said: members, thereby rigidlyconnecting the arch to the upper portion of the main frame sothat'dropping; of. the arch is pre vented and draft is applied to theupper portioniof' the main frame as well as tothe lower portion thereof.

The front-truck is supported by wheels 20 which may be of any well-knownor preferred form and are carried by spindles 21 which have their innerends flattened and upturned to be rigidly secured to the lowerextremities of vertically disposed rack bars Serial N'o. 745,441.

I 1588,9052 PATENT OFFICE...

22, the upturned attaching terminals. of the if spindles being shown at23. The said rack bars 22 are connected at their upper ends by a bridgepiece or cross bar 2 f whereby a rigid truck frame is produced, the endsof the said bridge piece or cross. bar being turned downwardly so as. tofit flatv against the upper ends of the: rack bars and be securedthereto, as shown at 25. Upon the said cross bar 24E at the center ofthe same, I secure a socket or bracket 26 which receives the rear end ofthe tongue or pole 27 which is rigidly secured thereinby a bolt 28inserted vertically through the tongue and the cross bar, as willbereadily understood. The rigidity of the truck is further increased bythe provisionof braces: 29 whicheXtend between thetongue and the lowerends. of the rack bars and are. rigidly securedithereto, as shown.Mounted for vertical. movement upon. the rack bars is a yoke or couplinghead 30 which carries pinions 31. and 32, meshing with the rack: bars,and is constructed to slidably fit around the. rackbars so as to beheld' to a rectilinear path. and maintain the engagement of the pinionswith the rack bars. A draft coupling plate 3.3: is secured rigidly tothe yoke or headiBO and is provided at its front end with an opening 34in which is engaged the rear endlof a draft rod 35 andis provided at itsrear end with a horizontally disposed eye 36. through which the pintle17 loosely engages;

cotter pin or other retaining device 37 may be provided at thelower end.of the pintle 17 so that, while vertical movement of the couplingplaterelative to the pintle is permitted, the separation of the partswill be prevented. The front endof the draft rod 35 is suspended fromthe tongue by a chain or other flexible support 38 and the whiffletrecsor draft-applying devices, indicated at 39, are connected with the frontend of the said draft rod. The yoke or. coupling head 30 comprises ahorizontally disposed web having vertical webstl and 42 integral withits rear and frontedges respectively, the said vertical webs orfl angesdiminishing in height inwardly toward: the center of the yoke, and thecoupling plate-3.3 is secured rigidly upon the upper side of the web 40at the center of the same. The front vertical webs 42 extend laterallybeyond the webs 41 and are connected therewith by cross webs 4:3constructed with horizontal slots 44. At the extremities of the webs 42are rearwardly projecting flanges or webs 45 which terminate in thevertical plane of the web 41 and are constructed with openended slots ornotches 46 corresponding to the slots or notches 44. The pinions 31 and32 are provided with hub or axle members which are engaged in the slotsor notches 44 and 46 and are moved forwardly therein so as to bejournaled at the front ends of the same. The rack bars 22 fit betweenthe webs 43 and 45 and are held in such position and in mesh with thepinions 31 and 32 by a back plate or cap plate 47 which corresponds inoutline to the webs 42 and is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to thewebs 41. The yoke is thus mounted upon the rack bars 22 so as to becarried by the same and be movable vertically thereon, and the verticalmovement of the yoke will, of course, carry with it the draft couplingplate 33 and effect vertical adjustment of the arch 16. The upperpinions 31 have central openings therethrough of an angular outline andthrough the said openings is fitted a bar 48 or similar cross sectionalcontour so that these pinions will be caused to rotate in unison, thesaid bar extending from side to side of the yoke 30 and projectingbeyond one end of the same to be engaged by a wrench or other turningtool. That pinion 31 which is mounted upon the bar 48 adjacent theextended end of the same is formed integral with a ratchet disk 49, anda pawl 50 is mounted upon the adjacent end of the yoke 30 to engage saidratchet disk and prevent backward movement of the same. When it isdesired to adjust the frame vertically, a wrench or other turning toolis applied to the end of the bar 48 and the said bar is rotated in anobvious manner so that the upper pinions 31 will be rotated in such adirection as to move upwardly upon the rack bars, the pawl 50 serving tohold the device in the position to which it may be adjusted. If it bedesired to set the frame at a lower point relative to the rack bars, thepawl is simply released, whereupon the weight of the parts will causethem to move downwardly. The pawl may be held in its normal position inengagement with the ratchet disk by gravity or may be springpressed, aswill be obvious. By providing the pinions at both ends of the yoke, thetwo ends of the yoke are caused to move uniformly and by providing thelower pinions 32 any tendency of the yoke to twist relative to the rackbars will be avoided.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a draft member, a pintledepending from the frontend of the draft member, a truck in front of the draft member, and acoupling carried by the truck and vertically adjustable thereon andpivotally and slidably engaged with said pint-1e.

2. The combination of forwardly extending draft members, a front truckincluding transversely spaced vertical rack bars, a yoke fitted to saidrack bars for vertical movement thereon. a coupling plate carried bysaid yoke and having sliding pivotal connection with the said draftmembers, and means upon said yoke to engage the rock bars for effectingvertical movement thereof and sustaining it at any desired position ofvertical adjustment.

3. The combination of forwardly extending draft members, a front truckcomprising vertically disposed transversely spaced rack bars, a yokeslidably mounted upon said rack bars, a draft coupling secured to saidyoke and having slidable and pivotal en gagement with the said draftmembers, pin ions mounted in the ends of said yoke and engaging saidrack bars, and means connected with one of said pinions for preventingrotation of the same.

4. The combination of forwardly extending draft members, a front truck,a coupling mounted upon said truck and movable vertically thereon, saidcoupling having pivotal and slidable engagement with the front ends ofsaid draft members, a tongue projecting forwardly from the truck, aflexible hanger suspended on the tongue, a draft rod carried by the saidcoupling and said hanger, and draft devices carried by the front end ofsaid draft rod.

5. The combination of draft members having a pendent pintle at the frontend thereof, a truck in front of said members including a pair ofrigidly connected vertical transversely spaced rack bars, a yoke havingtransversely spaced vertical webs at its ends to span the rack bars, acap plate bridging the webs and the rack bars to retain the yoke uponthe rack bars, pinions mounted between the spaced vertical webs of theyoke and meshing with the rack bars, means for holding the pinions in aset position, a coupling plate carried by the yoke and project-ing infront and in rear thereof, the rear end of said plate being pivotallyand slidably engagedabout the pintle, and draft devices connected to thefront end of said plate.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN ROUPP. [1 5.

